WO2022269112A1

WO2022269112A1 - Breakwater

Info

Publication number: WO2022269112A1
Application number: PCT/ES2022/070370
Authority: WO
Inventors: Santiago Gil-Casares Armada; Alvaro Gil-Casares Armada
Original assignee: Arena Syscom Consulting, S.L.
Priority date: 2021-06-22
Filing date: 2022-06-13
Publication date: 2022-12-29
Also published as: AU2022296874A1; EP4361350A1; ES2864875A1; ES2864875B2

Abstract

The breakwater according to the present invention is formed by a body (1) which is struck by waves and which comprises a plurality of surfaces (11, 12, 13, 14), each with a different inclination, said inclinations defining different angles relative to the horizontal. The angle defined by each surface (11, 12, 13, 14) increases from the front surface (11) to the rear surface (14), and the length of each surface (11, 12, 13, 14) is different, decreasing from the front surface (11) to the rear surface (14). The invention provides a breakwater in which most of the wave energy returns to the sea, so that only a small part is dissipated in the breakwater.

Description

DESCRIPTION

BREAKWATER

field of invention

The present invention relates to a breakwater, which allows most of the wave energy to return to the sea, so that only a small part is dissipated on the breakwater.

Background of the invention

A breakwater is a coastal structure whose main purpose is to protect the coast or a port from the action of sea waves or weather. They are usually calculated for a given wave height with a specified return period.

A breakwater is designed to cause a reduction in the intensity of the waves and its design is mainly based on building a mountain through the accumulation of materials with various sizes. Part of that mountain will be submerged and another part will be surfaced.

A large part of the waves break in the part that is submerged, and in this way they lose strength. The rest of the energy continues its journey until colliding with the part that is emerged.

Currently known breakwaters have several important disadvantages.

First, the forces that the wave produces when it breaks are several times greater than if the wave did not break.

Also, the air trapped in the turbulence that occurs when breaking is very destructive.

On the other hand, fixed breakwaters produce a great environmental impact, since they prevent the passage of currents and change the configuration of the coast that they protect and cause a great visual impact.

Description of the invention Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a breakwater in which most of the wave energy returns to the sea, whereby only a small part is dissipated in the breakwater.

With the breakwater of the invention, it is possible to solve the aforementioned drawbacks, presenting other advantages that will be described below.

The breakwater according to the present invention comprises a wave-beating body, wherein the wave-beating body comprises a plurality of surfaces, each having a different inclination, said inclinations defining different angles with respect to the horizontal.

Advantageously, the surfaces are:

- a front surface;

- a plurality of intermediate surfaces; Y

- a rear surface.

Preferably, the angle defined by each surface increases from the front surface to the rear surface.

Furthermore, the length of each surface is preferably different, and the length of each surface decreases from the front surface to the rear surface.

According to a preferred embodiment, the angle defined by the front surface is between 20° and 30°, the angles defined by the intermediate surfaces are between 45° and 80°, and/or the angle defined by the rear surface is of 90°.

According to a preferred embodiment, the body has a height between 1 and 30 meters, the length of the front surface is between 50% and 100% of the total height of the body, the lengths of the intermediate surfaces are between 20% to 50% of the total height of the body, and the length of the rear surface is between 2 meters and 6 meters.

Advantageously, said body on which the waves hit comprises a chamber, located in a rear position, and some lateral floats and/or a rear float, which can be filled with water or air, with water to submerge them to the depth of use. and can be injected air inside, displacing the water so that the breakwater floats and is easily towed by a tugboat to its location.

In the breakwater according to the present invention, said body may comprise fastening elements, such as chains, to fasten it to a seabed.

According to a preferred embodiment, the front surface has a slope such that the corresponding Iribarren number is greater than 2.3, the Iribarren number being defined according to the following formula:

NI = P x 1.25/VH X T where:

- NI is the Iribarren number;

- P is the slope of the beach where the breakwater is installed;

- H is the height of the waves that are expected to hit the body; Y

- T is the period of the waves that are expected to hit the body.

The breakwater according to the present invention is based on preventing the wave from breaking, so that it has an end of the oscillation or surf type, called "surging" in English.

This end occurs naturally when the beach or surface where the wave ends has a slope such that the Iribarren number corresponding to said wave is greater than 2.3.

As previously indicated, the Iribarren number depends on the slope of the beach and the height and period/length of the arriving wave.

Iribarren number = Beach slope x 1.25/VH X T

Where:

- H is the height of the wave; Y

- T is the period of the wave.

By preventing the wave from breaking, the breakwater according to the present invention causes most of the wave energy to return to the sea, whereby only a small part is dissipated in the breakwater. The shape of the breakwater according to the present invention seeks to redirect the movement of the wave in a vertical direction, preventing it from breaking.

To do this, the wave is allowed to enter at one end, and the shape of the breakwater forces the wave to change direction, so that it enters horizontally, leaves vertically and returns backwards.

In a very simplified way, and approximately, depending on the type of wave and the depth, it is obtained:

- An energy attenuation of 85% - 95%, with the wave that passes the breakwater having an energy of 15% - 5% (1/7 - 1/20) of the one that arrives;

- A reflected energy of 60% - 70% (4/7 - 5/7) (Hangover);

- 15% - 30% (1/7 - 2/7) energy dissipated, with 15% (1/7) dissipated on breakwater moves and rubbing, and 15% (1/7) dissipated on dash moves anchor chains.

It should be noted that the shape of the breakwater according to the present invention increases the speed of the water inside it, which produces a suction effect at the bottom, which affects the part of the wave that passes under the breakwater. In this way, the theoretical attenuation is significantly increased.

Assuming an attenuation of 85%, that the period of the wave that passes the breakwater has the same frequency as the wave that arrives, and that the energy of the wave is proportional to the square of the height:

- a wave of 1 meter would become one of 30 cm.

- a wave of 2 meters would become one of 75 cm.

- a wave of 3 meters would become one of 1.20 m.

- a wave of 4 meters would become one of 1.50 m.

The breakwater according to the present invention can be used in fixed (supported) or floating installations. In fixed or supported installations, a simple solution is the placement on piles of a resistant prefabricated metal or concrete structure, the piles being behind the breakwater and protected by the breakwater itself.

Pile driving works are much faster and less invasive than the construction of a traditional breakwater.

The breakwater does not need to rest on the ground, so currents can continue to pass under the breakwater with significantly less ecosystem disturbance than traditional breakwaters.

Regarding the visual impact, at high tide, the breakwater is completely submerged, and the part that protrudes at low tide depends on the path of the tide.

In floating installations, the breakwater according to the present invention achieves wave attenuation results similar to the breakwater in fixed installations (85% - 95%), unlike currently known floating breakwaters, with minimal visual impact.

In addition, it is possible to change places very easily, as it is a partially submersible installation.

Specifically, the body can be emptied, so it is very easy to move the floating breakwater from one place to another, floating like a ship. This is particularly interesting for applications where a permanent breakwater is not required, for example, for the construction and maintenance of offshore wind farms.

Brief description of the drawings

For a better understanding of what has been exposed, some drawings are attached in which, schematically and only as a non-limiting example, a practical case of realization is represented.

Figure 1 is a side view of the breakwater in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 2 is a front view of the breakwater in accordance with the present invention; Figure 3 is a side view of a specific embodiment of the breakwater in accordance with the present invention; Y

Figures 4 and 5 are comparative graphs of water surface elevations as a function of breakwater position in accordance with the present invention.

Description of a preferred embodiment

As shown in figures 1 and 2, the breakwater according to the present invention is formed from a body (1) on which the waves hit, and which comprises a plurality of surfaces (11, 12, 13, 14), four in the embodiment shown, each of which has a different inclination, said inclinations defining different angles with respect to the horizontal.

According to the depicted embodiment the surfaces are:

- a front surface (11);

- a plurality of intermediate surfaces (12, 13); Y

- a rear surface (14).

However, it should be noted that there may be only one intermediate surface or more than two intermediate surfaces.

As can be seen in figure 1, the angle defined by each surface (11, 12, 13, 14) increases from the front surface (11) to the rear surface (14), and the length of each surface (11, 12 , 13, 14) is different, tapering from the front surface (11) to the rear surface (14).

According to a non-limiting example, the angle defined by the front surface (11) is between 20° and 30°, for example 25°, the angles defined by the intermediate surfaces (12, 13) are between 45° and 80°, for example, 45° and 70°, and the angle defined by the rear surface (14) is 90°.

For its part, according to a non-limiting example, the length of the front surface (11) is between 5 and 7 meters, for example, 6 meters, the lengths of the intermediate surfaces (12, 13) are between 3 and 2 meters, for example, 2.8 meters and 2.1 meters, and the length of the rear surface (14) is 2 meters or less. In addition, said body (1) includes lateral floats (2) and fastening elements (3) to fasten it to a seabed.

The front surface (11), which is the surface where the wave hits first, has a slope such that the corresponding Iribarren number is greater than 2.3, the Iribarren number being defined according to the following formula:

NI = P x 1.25/VH X T where:

- NI is the Iribarren number;

- P is the slope of the beach where the breakwater is installed;

- H is the height of the waves that are expected to hit the body; Y

- T is the period of the waves that are expected to hit the body.

When the breakwater according to the present invention is installed in position, a wave enters through the open front, encounters a first inclined surface or leading surface (11) of 20° - 30° from the horizontal, as described above.

Next, the wave finds an intermediate surface (12) of 40° - 45°, then an intermediate surface (13), for example, of 60°, then it could find another intermediate surface of 80°, and finally a rear surface (14) upright.

It should be noted that the body (1), in its rear part, that is to say, in the opposite part to the entrance of the wave, can include a chamber (4) that can be filled with water.

This chamber (4) has three missions:

As it is filled with water, the inertia of the assembly increases. The mass of this chamber (4) can easily be increased by extending the body (1) at the rear, if considered convenient.

In addition, since the water is incompressible, it helps to resist the pressure of the wave that arrives, when it crashes against the inclined surfaces, reinforcing itself from the back. On the other hand, when the entry of the wave tries to rotate the body (1) downwards, the inertia and the weight distribution prevent it.

The flotation and rigidity of the assembly are achieved by means of empty lateral floats (2), and optionally by means of a rear float (5).

Its buoyancy is calculated so that the entire assembly is at the design depth, which is normally completely submerged. The breakwater is intended to protrude as little out of the water as possible for environmental reasons.

The breakwater according to the present invention, when it is floating, can be anchored by means of fastening elements (3), such as chains, for example, by means of a single main anchor with its anchoring chain (3) that rests on the bottom. . This chain (3) will have a high safety factor.

At the end of this chain there will be a yoke (not represented in the figures) from which 3/5 chains will come out, which will be the ones that connect to the breakwater from the bottom, forming the corresponding catenaries. These chains connect to the lower forward part of the breakwater. In addition, one or two rearward-directed side chains hold the position of the breakwater fixed.

It should be noted that the breakwater in accordance with the present invention will normally be placed at an angle of approximately 10° to the prevailing direction of the waves, with three objectives:

- Avoid the formation of stationary waves in places where swell waves occur;

- Obtain a more stable position by applying force to the wave in one direction;

- Allow to use only one positioning string instead of two.

Figure 3 shows a specific embodiment of the breakwater according to the present invention, indicating the values of the inclinations and the lengths of each surface.

Figures 4 and 5 show comparative graphs of the elevations of the water surface as a function of the position of the breakwater according to the present invention, with the values indicated in figure 3. Specifically, figure 4 indicates the elevations of the water surface in positions before the breakwater, and figure 5 indicates the elevations of the water surface in positions after the breakwater, where the attenuation effect of the sea can be appreciated. breakwater above water surface elevation.

Claims

1. Breakwater, comprising a body (1) upon which the waves strike, wherein the body (1) upon which the waves strike comprises a plurality of surfaces (11, 12, 13, 14), each of which have a different inclination, said inclinations defining different angles with respect to the horizontal, in which the surfaces are:

- a front surface (11);

- a plurality of intermediate surfaces (12, 13); Y

- A rear surface (14) characterized in that the angle defined by each surface (11, 12, 13, 14) increases from the front surface (11) to the rear surface (14).

Breakwater according to claim 1, in which the length of each surface (11, 12, 13, 14) is different.

Breakwater according to claim 2, in which the length of each surface (11, 12, 13, 14) decreases from the front surface (11) to the rear surface (14).

Breakwater according to claim 1, in which the angle defined by the front surface (11) is between 20° and 30°.

5. Breakwater according to claim 1, in which the angles defined by the intermediate surfaces (12, 13) are between 45° and 80°.

Breakwater according to claim 1, in which the angle defined by the rear surface (14) is 90°.

7. Breakwater according to claim 1, in which the body (1) has a height between 1 and 30 meters.

Breakwater according to claim 7, in which the length of the front surface (11) is between 50% and 100% of the total height of the body (1).

Breakwater according to claim 7, in which the lengths of the intermediate surfaces (12, 13) are between 20% and 50% of the total height of the body (1).

Breakwater according to any one of the preceding claims, in which said body (1) on which the waves hit comprises a chamber (4) of water.

Breakwater according to any one of the preceding claims, in which said body (1) comprises lateral floats (2) and/or a rear float (5).

Breakwater according to any one of the preceding claims, in which said body (1) comprises fastening elements (3) to fasten it to a seabed.

13. Breakwater according to claim 1, in which the front surface (11) has a slope such that the corresponding Iribarren number is greater than 2.3, the Iribarren number being defined according to the following formula:

NI = P x 1.25/VH X T where:

- NI is the Iribarren number;

- P is the slope of the beach where the breakwater is installed;

- H is the height of the waves that are expected to hit the body; Y

- T is the period of the waves that are expected to hit the body.